Detroit Red Wings rookie forward Emmitt Finnie has scored twice in as many games, and there's more "zip" in his game of late in the eyes of head coach Todd McLellan.
It was a long time coming for Detroit Red Wings forward Emmitt Finnie, who tallied his first goal since Dec. 23 during Monday afternoon's 4-2 victory over the Nashville Predators.
He followed that up in Detroit's subsequent game, a 4-3 overtime setback at Little Caesars Arena to the Vegas Golden Knights, with what was nothing short of a pure goal scorer's goal.
He picked the corner past the glove hand of Vegas goaltender Adin Hill from the top of the face-off circle, and looked as though he'd already done it 30 times before.
Finnie, one of only a handful of rookies to make Detroit’s Opening Night roster and remain with the club all season, has shown more pep in his step recently, according to head coach Todd McLellan.
"It's been a long time coming, he's had a few chances, but you can see that he's playing with a little more zip and belief in his offensive game," McLellan said following Finnie's second goal in as many games.
"Whether it was the first goal or (the second), he's got more in his game now, more substance," he continued. "That's the Emmitt we need, and his confidence should be higher now than it was a few weeks ago."
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As his offensive touch has returned in recent games, Finnie said that he's trying to re-establish the kind of hard-nosed play that's made him a problem for the opposition to deal with.
"I mean, it's definitely nice to score; you want to continue in any way you can," Finnie said. "I feel like when I wasn't producing, I could have done a better job contributing in other ways, so I feel like I'm trying to get back to the style of game I play, which is fast and on the hunt. It's worked out with a couple of goals."
Seeing the puck go in will naturally raise a player's confidence, especially a young rookie.
"Obviously, when the puck is going in, you have more confidence, but I've tried to carry that with me throughout the season, even when I'm not scoring," Finnie said. "I'm just trying to stay sharp and make good plays."
At 20 years old, Finnie has only begun to get his feet wet at the NHL level, but he will continue to improve as he gains more experience.
"We sometimes forget that he's a rookie, too, and he's very young," McLellan said. "He's experiencing this time of year, the Trade Deadline, for the first time as well."
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